Berkley takes stage again as she moves past 'Showgirls'

ATLANTA - "My left foot is totally asleep," Elizabeth Berkley laughs as she gets up from a cow-hide sofa at the Driskill Hotel. "It feels like there's no support beneath me."

Sounds like Berkley's career just after Showgirls opened in 1995. By all appearances, the then-20-year-old actress didn't have a leg to stand on. From the teen sitcom Saved by the Bell it was straight to career destruction in the universally howled-at stripper soap opera.

But she soldiered on, this tall and proud actress-dancer. And now she's co-starring in Roger Dodger, a scabrously funny black comedy by newcomer Dylan Kidd.

"Hang on," she says about her numb leg. "Let me shake it out." She's doing just that with her acting.

Q: Do you feel more legit these days?

A: You don't get more legit than doing the London stage for six months. But right after Showgirls I had to prove what I could do, which is frustrating because I had done what the director (Paul Verhoeven) directed me to do. But for a movie they slammed so much, they still talk about it. It didn't die some little death.

Q: It's beyond cult classic.

A: It really is. People have seen it like 10 times. Any actor is grateful when their things get seen. You work and work and star in these small obscure movies that don't get out there. I'm just grateful it gets seen. It gave me my start.

Q: Did you want to hide at the time?

A: No, I wanted to get out there even more. When I auditioned for it, the role was much more rooted in reality, and I was excited. When we started rehearsing, I saw the director wanted a campier, over-the-top tone.

Q: No regrets?

A: Not at all. It set me on an amazing course. I might not have gotten so clear on the choices I wanted to make. I've worked my whole life for this. It's about carving out the best work with the best directors. I don't care if it's two scenes or 10. My work's my salvation.